PARENTAL ORIGIN OF CHROMOSOME 9Q22.3-Q31 LOST IN BASAL-CELL CARCINOMAS FROM BASAL-CELL NEVUS SYNDROME PATIENTS

The basal cell nevus syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease, one of the most prominent phenotypic features of which is a large number of cutaneous basal cell carcinomas. The gene whose mutation underlies thi s disease has been mapped to chromosome 9q22.3 - q31, and basal cell c arcinomas frequently have allelic losses including this site. We repor t here that the chromosome 9q22.3 - q31 lost in 24 basal cell carcinom as from basal cell nevus syndrome patients was the one predicted by li nkage to contain the wild-type gene. Hence these data are compatible w ith the expectation that the product of the basal cell nevus syndrome gene acts as a tumor suppresser.